Pope John Paul II's Rosary: The Luminous Mysteries

In
October 2002, many Catholics were stunned to learn that Pope John
Paul II introduced new mysteries to the centuries old, heaven-sent
devotion of the Rosary. The following is a discussion of the new
Mysteries and the encyclical that introduced them: Rosarium
Virginis Mariae.

(3)
Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion

(4)
Jesus' Transfiguration

(5)
Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of
the Paschal Mystery.

As
explained in the encyclical:

"The
Baptism in the Jordan is first of all a mystery of light. Here, as
Christ descends into the waters, the innocent one who became
"sin" for our sake (cf. 2 Cor 5:21), the heavens open wide and
the voice of the Father declares him the beloved Son (cf. Mt 3:17 and
parallels), while the Spirit descends on him to invest him with the
mission which he is to carry out. Another mystery of light is the
first of the signs, given at Cana (cf. Jn 2:1- 12), when Christ
changes water into wine and opens the hearts of the disciples to faith,
thanks to the intervention of Mary, the first among believers.
Another mystery of light is the preaching by which Jesus proclaims the
coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and
forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (cf. Mk
2:3-13; Lk 7:47- 48): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which
he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly
through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his
Church (cf. Jn 20:22-23). The mystery of light par excellence is the
Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount
Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as
the Father commands the astonished Apostles to "listen to him"
(cf. Lk 9:35 and parallels) and to prepare to experience with him the
agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the
Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit. A final
mystery of light is the institution of the Eucharist, in which
Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and
wine, and testifies "to the end" his love for humanity (Jn
13:1), for whose salvation he will offer himself in sacrifice." (Pope
John Paul II, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae", 10/02, emphasis
added)

No,
Catholic are not obliged to use the New Mysteries. The decision
regarding whether to include them or not is "left to the freedom of
individuals and communities". (See Par. 19, Rosarium Virginis Mariae)

When
His Holiness Pope John Paul II issued his Encyclical on the Rosary in
October 2002, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae", Catholics applauded
his proclamation of the "Year of the Rosary". Along with this
proclamation, though, came a number of proposed changes to this popular
devotion. These changes are not mandatory, and many Catholics have
preferred to stick to the "tried and true" method they have
always used. The following illustrates some of these proposed changes
and why many Catholics fail to adopt them.

As
acknowledged in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, "Well-known are the
occasions in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries on which the
Mother of Christ made her presence felt and her voice heard, in order to
exhort the People of God to this form of contemplative prayer." In
the Encyclical, we are reminded here that Mary has asked regularly for
the recitation of the Rosary. During various approved apparitions, Mary
has not asked for changes to the Rosary, other than at Fatima, when she
requested the addition of one prayer after each decade. This prayer,
often called the "Fatima Prayer" or the "O My Jesus"
prayer, seems, curiously, to be discouraged in the encyclical Rosarium
Virginis Mariae:

"In
current practice, the Trinitarian doxology is followed by a brief
concluding prayer which varies according to local custom. Without in
any way diminishing the value of such invocations, it is worthwhile to
note that the contemplation of the mysteries could better express
their full spiritual fruitfulness if an effort were made to conclude
each mystery with a prayer for the fruits specific to that particular
mystery... Such a final prayer could take on a legitimate variety of
forms, as indeed it already does. In this way the Rosary can be better
adapted to different spiritual traditions and different Christian
communities. It is to be hoped, then, that appropriate formulas will
be widely circulated, after due pastoral discernment and possibly
after experimental use in centuries and shrines particularly devoted
to the Rosary"

Therefore,
it is perplexing why a prayer Mary personally requested in an approved
apparition should be excluded in favor of a "legitimate
variety" of other prayers. Also, if Mary requested that one third
of a Rosary be said each day, one would say 5 decades daily of a 15
decade Rosary (the traditional amount). With the addition of five
additional mysteries, a complete Rosary would contain 20 decades. Thus,
one attempting to heed Mary's request would face the challenge of
praying the odd number of 6.66 decades. Catholics have also noted that
the Hail Mary's of the Rosary corresponds to the 150 psalms in the
Psalter. With the addition of the new mysteries, however, there is a
total of 200 Hail Mary's, which no longer corresponds to the Psalter.

In
a nutshell, some Catholics wonder why the devotion which is believed to
be a gift from above requires change after enjoying centuries of
fruitfulness, has been lavished with the greatest praise from popes,
countless saints, and other lay people, and has been personally
requested by Our Lady, now requires improvements or an
"update". Never was it known that this popular devotion was in
any way lacking. Mary did not request the change in her apparitions, but
rather affirmed and recommended the Rosary as it was. The "Pope of
the Rosary" (Pope Leo XIII) never requested changes, and even after
Vatican II, changes were not made to it, despite attempts by Liberals to
alter the devotion even back then. The Rosary in its "final
form" (before these changes) was generally considered "untouchable"
and was greatly beloved among the clergy and laity alike. In fact, there
has been so much praise for the Rosary in the old form that it is
thought that no prayer (other than the Traditional Mass) even comes
close to "Mary's favorite prayer".

So,
"If it ain't broke, why fix it?" may be heard from bewildered
Catholics. It is speculated that the answer might come from the
encyclical itself with the statement: "If properly revitalized, the
Rosary is an aid and certainly not a hindrance to ecumenism!" The
question still remains, however, "Should we change this most
valuable of prayers to be an aid to
ecumenism?" The new mysteries,
except one, and the other changes, arguably put Mary in the background.
The Encyclical itself actually has a section entitled "Objections
to the Rosary" which counter objections that those of other faiths
might have. The new changes also introduce potentially divisive
practices and make the prayer less universal. Rather than add a chaplet
containing these mysteries, His Holiness has chosen to recommend
altering the traditional Rosary.

So
what are the proposed changes? The following is a summary of some
proposed changes as indicated in the encyclical:

Five new mysteries are introduced

We
are now encouraged "to follow the announcement of the mystery
with the proclamation of a related Biblical passage, long or short,
depending on the circumstances" and are told that "In
certain solemn communal celebrations, this word can be appropriately
illustrated by a brief commentary"

During
each Hail Mary in a public recitation, the Faithful are now
encouraged to "[highlight] the name of Christ by the addition
of a clause referring to the mystery being contemplated"

We
are encouraged to emphasize the Gloria in each decade, including
singing it

We
are now encouraged to "to conclude each mystery with a prayer
for the fruits specific to that particular mystery"

The
pattern of the Rosary is now altered and the recommended cycle
breaks up the natural sequence of the mysteries

Children
are encouraged to become more creative in praying the Rosary

Concerns
about the changes include:

The
increased amount of time needed to complete the Rosary with the
addition of five scripture readings and five commentaries, a sung
Gloria, and other changes

The
changes complicate the Rosary and introduce distractions

Some
of the new mysteries are more abstract and are more difficult to
reflect on

The
omission of the prayer requested by Our Lady

Fear
that the new precedent of change may make the Rosary subject to
further change as people become "bored" with the new
changes and the quest for novelty begins

The
negative effects of non-universality or disunity of the various
regional adaptations; This disunity is now built in by design

Experimentation
is now encouraged

As
admitted in the encyclical, it is more likely that with the new
mysteries many people will not be able to recite the full Rosary
each day

The
increased focus on the formula of the Rosary may reduce
contemplation (since we must remember new words and phrases for each
mystery, which are likely to vary among individuals and groups)

The
divisiveness of changing a well beloved devotion (not just among
families, but even among communities)

Confusion
may occur as the faithful recite the Rosary with different groups,
each with its own practices and prayers

Rather
than praying the Rosary in "one voice" throughout the
world, the faithful will now be saying different prayers, reflecting
on different
mysteries, etc.

The
cycle of meditation is changed to an unnatural succession (i.e. the
Joyful Mysteries occur immediately after the Sorrowful, the Glorious occur
immediately after the Joyful) and the "triple" mysteries
corresponding to the liturgical season will no longer occur

The
"high degree of imprecision" especially associated with one
of the New Mysteries ["Another mystery of light is the preaching by which Jesus proclaims the
coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and
forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (cf. Mk
2:3-13; Lk 7:47- 48)"] may make meditation difficult. When a
mystery doesn't concern one specific event, it is harder to picture
in one's mind.

Various
concerns over readings and commentary are now introduced into the
Rosary (who determines the readings?, who determines the content or
length of the commentary?, who is qualified to comment?, what about
issues of orthodoxy?, etc.)

Concern
about the "Protestantizing" of a traditional Catholic
devotion

At
a time when people are less devout, less pious, and less unified,
why should the Rosary be made longer, more complicated, and possibly
divisive?

Concern
over changing a devotion with a divine origin that has been approved
by Mary

Concern
about the lost symbolism in the number of groupings
(Trinity/threefold grouping of mysteries vs. the new division into
four groupings)

Concern
over changing the number of Hail Mary's in a full Rosary from 153 to
203. The number 153 corresponds both to the number of fish in Holy
Scripture (Jn. 21:11), and to the number of days in between the
Blessed Virgin's apparitions at Fatima (5/13-10/13 = 153 days),
where she requested the Rosary be said by the faithful

Concern
that traditional indulgences would no longer be possible [Note that
1/3 of Rosary is common for traditional indulgences (see Raccolta
#'s 395, 397, 398); with a full 15 decade Rosary, this is,
conveniently, a 5 decade Rrosary, with 20 decades of the Rosary, this
becomes the unusual number of 6.66 decades]

At
Fatima, Mary asked us to meditate on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.
She said nothing about any other mysteries. In fact, a Basilica was built
there with 15 altars corresponding to the fifteen mysteries. Is this basilica now "obsolete"?
What about the complete rosaries made with 15 decades? Rosary groups with 15
members? Precious works of art depicting the 15 mysteries? Numerous books,
writings, etc. discussing the 15 mysteries (some written by popes
and saints)? Will there be more changes to make these items "obsolete"
again?

Concern
that the Rosary, the "Psalter of Mary" no longer corresponds
to the 150 psalms in the Psalter. Now the "Psalter of
Mary" would have more than the Psalter itself (200 vs. 150).

Concern
over loss of the symbolism regarding 15 mysteries (e.g. corresponds
to the 15 gradual psalms, the 15 temple steps, and even the 15
fifteen promises of the Rosary)

Concern
that the depth of new mysteries differs from that of the existing
mysteries. It has been argued that these new mysteries don't fit in
as well and that each of the new mysteries is already contained in
some way within the existing mysteries. For example:

Baptism
in the Jordan - prefigured in Joyful mysteries (presentation in
the temple, circumcision)

Self-manifestation
at the wedding of Cana - contained in Joyful mysteries (Jesus
manifested himself in the Temple at age 12 as well as in the
other Joyful Mysteries - Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, and
Presentation at Temple)

Proclamation
of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion - contained
in Joyful mysteries (all Joyful Mysteries proclaim the Kingdom
of God)

Transfiguration
- contained in some form in the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious
mysteries (each set of mysteries clearly demonstrate that he is
God and Man and include signs to demonstrate this fact)

Institution
of the Eucharist as the sacramental expression of the Paschal
Mystery - foretold in the Joyful Mysteries and contained in
Sorrowful Mysteries (the entire, actual paschal mystery is
contained in the sorrowful mysteries and was foretold at the
presentation at the Temple)

Concern
that the changes are more likely to cause division than give
"fresh life" and "enkindle renewed interest" in
the Rosary

Concern
over trying to increase interest in a devotion by complicating it. Increased
length and complexity seems unlikely to prompt those who don't pray
the Rosary to begin praying it. The changes may also discourage to
those who do pray the Rosary. For example, those who previously made
time for a full Rosary (15 decades) may be discouraged to suddenly
have a full Rosary become 20 decades. If they are now unable to
complete a 'full Rosary' of 20 decades, they may omit the devotion
all together or pray a simple 5 decade Rosary instead.

Despite
the many beautiful expressions in the encyclical, some
Catholics have expressed concerns about certain elements of the
encyclical, including:

The
inference that the depth of the Gospel message is contained in the
Rosary in its entirety, but now needs updating

We
are told that with the Rosary we sit at the school of Mary and
"see through the eyes of Mary" and that there is a
"Marian foundation" to the new mysteries, but Mary was
only ostensibly present for one of the new mysteries

We
are told that the Rosary needs to reclaim its "full
meaning" without being told what meaning that is or when it was
lost

It
seems to imply that the Rosary was merely "developed" over
time rather than being a supernatural gift

The
focus of the Rosary is directed to mere earthly concerns
("Consequently, one cannot recite the Rosary without feeling
caught up in a clear commitment to advancing peace, especially in
the land of Jesus, still so sorely afflicted and so close to the
heart of every Christian", "How could one possibly
contemplate the mystery of the Child of Bethlehem, in the joyful
mysteries, without experiencing the desire to welcome, defend and
promote life, and to shoulder the burdens of suffering children all
over the world... Finally, how could one possibly gaze upon the
glory of the Risen Christ or of Mary Queen of Heaven, without
yearning to make this world more beautiful, more just, more closely
conformed to God's plan?")

Seems
to imply that we need to "bring out fully the Christological
depth of the Rosary". Was Christ's being made incarnate,
suffering and dying, and resurrection not fully "Christological"?

Claims
that the traditional Rosary already "has all the depth of the
Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a
compendium", but then suggests that it should be
"broadened"

How
can one compare certain events in Jesus' life with the most
outstanding events of all - His incarnation, death, and
resurrection? Yet, we are told that "this truth emerges in a
special way during the years of his public life"

These
new mysteries have been called "difficulty worded and hard to
grasp". Also, they seem to focus only on the
"positive".

Catholic
means "universal" - yet the changes alter a universal
prayer and leave it up to the "freedom of individuals and
communities"

The
encyclical praises contemplation and the rhythm, but seems to make
contemplation more difficult and imposes a different rhythm

The
changes are to be "without prejudice" to any essential
aspect of the prayer's traditional format", but how can this
be? It interrupts the sequence, it changes the structure of it, it
changes prayers, etc.

The
changes have already "unleashed creativity" and have
invited "spoofs", such as the "dark mysteries"
which might focus on the announcement of eternal punishments and
other "negative" Gospel themes

Rather
than a supernatural emphasis, man-centeredness is introduced. It
seems to say that we are supposed to meditate on the Rosary to learn
about man, rather than learn about God. For example, this
man-centeredness is apparent in the following passage of the
encyclical: "I said then that 'the simple prayer of the Rosary
marks the rhythm of human life'...In the light of what has been said
so far on the mysteries of Christ, it is not difficult to go deeper
into this anthropological significance of the Rosary, which is far
deeper than may appear at first sight. Anyone who contemplates
Christ through the various stages of his life cannot fail to
perceive in him the truth about man... Following in the path of
Christ, in whom man's path is "recapitulated", revealed
and redeemed, believers come face to face with the image of the true
man. Contemplating Christ's birth, they learn of the sanctity of
life; seeing the household of Nazareth, they learn the original
truth of the family according to God's plan; listening to the Master
in the mysteries of his public ministry, they find the light which
leads them to enter the Kingdom of God; and following him on the way
to Calvary, they learn the meaning of salvific suffering. Finally,
contemplating Christ and his Blessed Mother in glory, they see the
goal towards which each of us is called, if we allow ourselves to be
healed and transformed by the Holy Spirit. It could be said that
each mystery of the Rosary, carefully meditated, sheds light on the
mystery of man."

Compare
the highest praise of the Rosary from popes and saints (click here
for a sampling) with the encyclical's comment that the Rosary is
"situated within this broad gamut of religious phenomena"
and "simply a method of contemplation"

It
is often asserted in the encyclical that the Rosary has a Marian focus, but such
sentiments are often countered with comments such as "One thing
is clear: although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to
Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed,
with her and through her", leaving Catholics to wonder if the
act of love is not ultimately directed to Mary. Given that we are
asking Mary for her prayers and repeating the greetings of the angel
and of Elizabeth are we not directing it ultimately to her as they
were?

Paragraphs
such as the following leave some faithful Catholics with questions...

"In
effect, the Rosary is simply a method of contemplation. As a method,
it serves as a means to an end and cannot become an end in itself.
All the same, as the fruit of centuries of experience, this method
should not be undervalued. In its favor one could cite the
experience of countless Saints. This is not to say, however, that
the method cannot be improved. Such is the intent of the addition of
the new series of mysteria lucis to the overall cycle of mysteries
and of the few suggestions which I am proposing in this Letter
regarding its manner of recitation. These suggestions, while
respecting the well-established structure of this prayer, are
intended to help the faithful to understand it in the richness of
its symbolism and in harmony with the demands of daily life.
Otherwise there is a risk that the Rosary would not only fail to
produce the intended spiritual effects, but even that the beads,
with which it is usually said, could come to be regarded as some
kind of amulet or magic object, thereby radically distorting their
meaning and function."

How
are these changes "intended to help the faithful to understand it
in the richness of its symbolism and in harmony with the demands of
daily life"? This is important to know because "Otherwise
there is a risk that the Rosary would not only fail to produce the
intended spiritual effects, but even that the beads, with which it is
usually said, could come to be regarded as some kind of amulet or
magic object, thereby radically distorting their meaning and
function". How specifically would this happen if the Rosary
wasn't changed? And, how do these changes reduce this
"risk"? And, if there is such a risk, why has it not been a
problem before or even so much as hinted at before?

In
summary, many Catholics may not embrace the new methods and new
mysteries for a variety of reasons. Let us hope that all such concerns
prove to be groundless. In any event, the proposed changes are not
mandatory or binding on the faithful; Catholics are free to continue
praying the Rosary in the traditional manner, the same manner praised so
highly by numerous popes and saints - and even by the Blessed Virgin herself.

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